Mr Will Bolton

Profile

I am a NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the University of Leeds School of Medicine in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research. I am an Honoaray Neurosurgery Specialist Registrar at Leeds Hospitals with a clincal interest in neurotrauma and neurosurgical neurorehabilitation.

I investigate the research question: Does mediating neural plasticity and repair through spatial computing across the invasiveness spectrum improve human function?

The aim of this is to accelerate recovery after insult to the central nervous system, specifically after neurosurgery and neurotrauma.

I am a HardTech Developer, focusing on software enabled hardware where the technical risk is high from the engineering or physics challenge. My research specialises in the development and evaluation of spatial computing and artificial intelligence technologies that communicate with the brain and spinal cord. My PhD focused on developing and evaluating surgical technology for low-resource environments. I am the Global Lead at the IDEAL Collaboration. My research portfolio always includes global health needs and technology adaptations so that everyone everywhere could benefit.

In the NHS, I work as a Neurosurgery Specialist Registrar, gaining technical ability to access the human central nervous system via open surgery and endovascular approaches.

During my medical degree I intercalated in Clinical Sciences Medical Imaging BSc (Hons) and I graduated form Medicine at Leeds in 2016. Currently I am an Academic Foundation Doctor and NIHR Clinical Research Fellow in the Global Health Research Group Surgical Technologies in Leeds, taking time out of training to complete a PhD on surgical technologies for application in low and middle income countries. I also lead the MedTech Foundation, a student and trainee affiliation of the NIHR Surgical MedTech Cooperative. The group aims to educate and egnage early career students and professionals to enhance medtech skills and promote interdiscplinary research.

Responsibilities

• NIHR Clinical Lecturer (LIMR)
• Artificial Intelligence Academic Faculty Lead (Faculty of Medicine and Health(
• MBChB ENQUIRE 2 Tutor & Research Student Supervisor

Research interests

My research interests include the development and evaluation of novel surgical technology, its applications to low-resource settings and clinical trial design in Global Surgery. In my current role I work closely with the Leeds Royal College of Surgeons of England Surgical Trials Centre, NIHR Surgical MedTech Cooperative, the Leeds Innovation in Surgical Technologies Network and the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development. My clinical interests include essential and emergency surgery, general surgery and trauma and orthopaedic surgery. 

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research